Pinerolo brings to mind the legendary feat of Fausto Coppi in the 1949 Giro. Since then it has become a stage venue that in the imagination of those who follow cycling can never be trivial. Also this year, despite arriving there not via the Alpine pass ride but from the Lombard plain, the Giro trusted in the Pramartino and in the San Maurizio wall, located close to the finish line, for a few coups in the upper quarters of the classification. None of this: Steven Krujiswick was able to archive another stage without suffering the slightest annoyance for his pink jersey. It is now only three stages away from the dream.
Valverde was content to win the group sprint ahead of Krujiswjick and Nibali himself at the end of 244 km pedaling all together in total disregard for the stage and for what was happening at the head of the race. Everyone's thought was directed to the two alpine stages that will issue the definitive sentence on the Giro: today's one with the 2740 meters of Colle dell'Agnello, this year's Cima Coppi, and the subsequent final climb to Risoul and tomorrow's one with the Vars, the Col de la Bonnette, the Col de la Lombarde and the ascent to Sant'Anna di Vinadio.
If there was the 1949 Coppi who, after a solo breakaway of 192 km, gave 12 minutes to the second and was called Bartali, anything could still happen. But today three minutes – such is Krujiswjick's advantage over Esteban Chaves who is second – appear to be a safety margin for the Dutch pink jersey, also considering the vitality and authority shown on display in the Dolomites. Yet something, especially Valverde but also Chaves and why not Nibali, will have to invent to put Krujiswjick in difficulty on rugged and endless mountains, where oxygen suddenly becomes thinner due to the altitude.
Up there over 2500 meters a small defaillance is enough for you to fall into the abyss. In particular, Risoul should be a sweet memory for Nibali, that of the Tour he won in 2014, when in the yellow jersey he showed off his class by shooting in pursuit of the fugitives. It was Roi Nibali, a show even if for a handful of seconds he failed to catch Majka and win her fourth stage. Nibali today has a gap in the standings of 4'43”: everyone says he's doomed and out of contention. But the Shark, like Valverde, has the pride of a champion. We'll see.
In the meantime, yesterday also the Shark, after his medical tests in the morning, spent a completely peaceful stage – if it can be peaceful to cover almost 250 km in the saddle – he too disinterested in what was happening ahead. Where a large group of non-ranking riders increased the advantage over the big group from km to km. There were many who gave it their all including the Italians Os, Moser, Modolo, Trentin, Brambila and the Swiss Kluge, the winner of Cassano. On the Pramartino, Brambilla, the former pink jersey from Arezzo, and Moser ahead of all the others.
On the Muro di San Maurizio, 400 meters but with prohibitive slopes, they seem unreachable and they are already preparing and studying for the sprint, but behind them, 300 meters from the finish, Matteo Trentin arrives and kills them in the sprint. For Moreno Moser, leader of the fourth generation of the dynasty, only the placement of honor. Third Brambilla. For Trentin, who had already won two stages in the Tour, it is the first victory in the Giro. The group in the pink jersey arrives without much fuss after more than 13 minutes.
